[Controlled study of ultrasound-guided acupotomy on spinal and articular diseases]

OBJECTIVEL to study the visualization of acupotomy therapy and to summarize differences of interventional ultrasound combined with acupotomy on spinal and articular diseases.

With randomized block design, 20 cases of shoulder periarthritis, 20 cases of knee arthritis, 20 cases of lumbar disc herniation and 20 cases of cervical disc herniation were divided into an ultrasound-guided group and regular group, 10 cases of each diseas in each group. The ultrasound-guided acupotomy and regular acupotomy were given for one time, respectively. Efficacy was observed after one week. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and fuction score were applied for efficacy assessment, including Wang's funtion evaluation table for cervical disc herniation, modified lumbago assessment by Japanese Orthopaedic Association for lumbar disc herniation, modified lumbago assessment arthritis and CMC shoulder funtion scale for shoulder periarthritis. The changes of scores of patients in two groups were observed before and after the treatment.

Each disease in each group achieved favorable efficacy; compared before and after treatment, differences of VAS and each function score all were statistically significant (allP<0.01). The efficacy of lumbar disc herniation and cerical disc herniation in two groups was not obviously different (both P>0.01). The efficacy of lumbar disc herniation and cervical disc herniation in two groups was not obviously different (bothP>0.05), while VAS and fuction scores improvements of shoulder periarthritis and knee +/-5.75 vs 75.72+/-8.56; knee arthritis: 90.40+/-7.35 vs 75.54+/-9.21, both P<0.05).

Whether ultrasound guidance is applied during acupotomy therapy made no obvious influence on efficacy of lumbar disc herniation and cervical disc herniation, but for shoulder periarthritis and knee arthritis better results could be acchieved with ultrasound guidance.